The soldiers have completed funeral rites for Rogier, by night. He is in an unusually-sized coffin.
Gareth: Shame we can't give him a dignified burial. Gareth: That - thing - couldn't be chopped down.
D: The burial isn't over.
D: We need to send him back to the Erdtree's roots.
Gareth: Oh. I was planning to set him into ashes, as we did in my former land.
D: What a barbaric thing to do. Set a body aflame? Did you not worship Marika?
Gareth: We worshipped a different god. Gareth: A one-eyed one. Ugly brute.
Gareth: But...the Erdtree? Gareth: We're nowhere near.
D: The Erdtree has roots deep everywhere. D: We must go to a catacomb.
D: I know of one in the Liurnian highway, but... Gareth: But?
D: ...Well. Nothing. D: It's as easy to get into as any other catacomb, let's say.
Gareth: I think we'll need a team of horses.
D: Well, hold on. Let's look at Stormveil's stables.
In the stable. This does not exist in the game, so I have no idea where it is in relation to the castle. Here are a number of strong horses. Gareth: I knew little of this place - Gareth: so this is where Morrowe stole his horse.
D: I could tell by your speaking you're not privy to riding a horse.
Gareth: How could you tell?
D: Not every horse can bear a man in armor. D: Certainly not someone of your...weight. Gareth: ...
Gareth: That's truth. Gareth: We weren't privileged with much cavalry, where I came from.
D: Honestly, with your armor and shield, I don't know which of these are capable of carrying you...
D: Oh. Well. Gareth: What?
They see a great ox, of a rugged build. D: He may do.
D: Not as quick as a horse, but better than traveling on foot. D: And he's strong. Of Stormveil stock.
Gareth: Ah...but I... D: I'll teach you. Don't worry.
Gareth: It feels too...luxurious to take a beast of burden. D: Come on, fellow. You about own this castle.
Gareth: Gaer and I never owned anything. Gareth: I guess I think of him. Gareth tries to mount the ox. D: ...
Gareth is on the ox. D: Huh. He takes to you. D: This is the most comfortable I've seen you in this castle.
D leads the ox by the snout. D: Come on, I'll teach you basic maneuvers.
The back entrance to Stormveil, through the tombs. Time has passed; the moon is high. D and Gareth are ready to go; Rogier's coffin is in a wagon, hitched to the ox and D's horse.
Yuina: Wait, I want to come with you two.
Gareth: You don't need to attend to me, anymore.
Yuina: I agree. I'm going off on my own journey.
Gareth: ...To find Miquella? Yuina: Yes. I'll join the other Tarnished.
D: You've already settled business here? Gareth: We'll only need a week, I believe.
Gareth: I think Edgar will hold out.
D: Alright then. Let's go. The convoy begins under moonlight.
They pass through Bellum Church, which is encircled by a number of graveyards.
They enter the cliffs descending into Liurnia proper, where the moonlight is shrouded in darkness.
They see the first Fire Monk camp. A Fire Monk is posted outside of it.
D: Hold. Let me speak to him.
D has a conversation with the Fire Monk.
The Fire Monk points away from the camp, signaling to drive around the palisades.
The trio, riding. Gareth: Do these belong to Raya Lucaria? D: No. The Cuckoo, who are the private guard of the scholars, do not reach this far.
D: Do you know anything about the Erdtree? Gareth: Yes. Rogier explained a deal. Unlikely enough.
D: Rogier. D: That rogue... D: These are keepers of the flame.
D: Fire is heresy to the Erdtree. D: Further, the light of the Erdtree makes fire obsolete.
D: And yet, Marika could not extinguish the concept of fire itself. D: Though the Erdtree is absolute, it needs an opposite.
D: That is what the keepers of flame do: D: They tend to the fire. And for their devotion, they are shamed, and shunned.
View of the Guardian's Garrison, situated in the Mountaintop of the Giants, ironically named as Marika had long ago subjugated the giants. There they stand in devotion over the flame that so entrances them, and yet is the source of their shame. They guard the Forge of the Giants, which Marika subdued for the first part of her campaign; for the flames here, can burn the Erdtree down to its roots. D: They have a fortress in the lands where Marika put the giants to the sword. D: There, they tend to the last embers of heresy.
D: From what these fellows have told me, some knave stole the flame and brought it here.
D: They chased the man and imprisoned him, but nothing can quench the ember. D: So they remain here, as an expression of their humility.
D: The lesson is clear: D: If everyone would follow the Erdtree, our weal would be absolute.
Gareth: ... D: We will enter the lake soon. We must go slow, given our cargo.
D: We will traverse the lake eastward, where we can enter the Liurnian Highway.
Gareth: Lead the way, then.
They enter the lake, with ruins of towns old dotting the waters. Trees, by the moonlight, color the lake with their shadows.
Slumbering giant lobsters. D: Softly, now. D: These can crush you in their claws. Gareth: That seems, for their smaller kin, fitting vengeance.
The Purified Ruins. Gareth: And these ruins?... D: Purified. D: For heresy. Gareth: Right, right, can't have excess heresy...
View of the Liurnia Highway; in the olden days it was the main route directly from Limgrave to Leyndell, via the Grand Lift of Dectus. Now, though there is a faint path traced by human feet, the road has largely been overtaken by vegetation and wear.
In the far distance is the entrance to the now-crumbled Gate Town Bridge, leading to the Raya Lucaria Academy; from there, is a direct route to the Grand Lift of Dectus. The entrance is dark and foreboding; corpses strew the path. D: We're taking the side route. D: That had led to Raya Lucaria - now it's guarded by puppets.
They enter the side route. They see wolves playing in the plains. A night rider can be seen, observing from the distance.
Tarnished resting before the pond, where the Tibia Mariner has made its residence. The Prophet and Corhyn are among them.
They see D, Gareth and Yuina in the distance. Tarnished: Hey, it's D!
D, addressing the Tarnished and unmounting his horse: Any changes? Tarnished: Nay.
Gareth, seeing the Prophet and Corhyn: Ah, you two. Gareth: Hail, and well-met. Corhyn: Same to you, sir.
The Tibia Mariner navigates his spectral boat in the pond. The bodies of Tarnished can be seen fallen in the waters.
Gareth: So. How shall we tackle this?
D: I've taught those of passing faith some useful incantations. We're not wanting in strength.
D: But this...fiend has some strength. D: A number of men have already perished from its tidal crash.
D: Several Tarnished, fleet of foot, should be a distraction; D: several other should take the unfortunates around it;
D: and the rest take on the demon itself.
Gareth: Then Yuina and I shall be the vanguard; Gareth: your acolytes shall meet the rest.
D: Shame we don't have our former champions. Gareth: We're good enough. Gareth: By my lead.
The Mariner, rowing alone.
Gareth: CHAAAAAARGE!! He and Yuina race to the Mariner.
The Mariner looks at them warily.
It blows on its horn.
Predictably, its skeletal warriors arise.
The warrior lunge at Gareth; their spears land on his shield.
A Tarnished, with a blade glowing in gold, strikes the warrior. It can be seen in the background a cleric has blessed their weapon. Tarnished: Hah!
The skeleton, cut in half, falls.
It tries to raise its hand up; the spirit, in confusion, swirls in the air, unable to return.
The spirit flies off; the skeleton crumbles into dust.
View of D. A number of skeletal warriors approach him. He crosses his arms in front of his chest.
D: Holy Erdtree... Do not permit these fellows to live in shame any longer...
D spreads his arms to his sides, perpendicular to his body; a wave of golden light unrolls from him.
The skeletal warriors crumble, their spirits fleeing from their bodies.
The spirits can be seen returning to the Erdtree.
The Prophet and Corhyn throws Discuses at the Tibia Mariner.
The Mariner blows its horn.
The "waters", the river of spirits, beneath the Mariner overflows, swelling upwards into a fountain. The Mariner is high in the air. Spirits fly from and dance wildly around the fountain. Gareth: Everyone... Gareth: Run!
The waters slam down, knocking Tarnished. Gareth is sprayed in water, but his shield blocks a great deal of it. The spirits spread out, searching for bodies to take over.
Yuina rolls backwards; another Tarnished by her is knocked over.
A spirit hovers to the other Tarnished.
It raises its mouth to the Tarnished's face.
Spirit: Ahhh... Ahhh!!! The Tarnished covers their ears.
The Tarnished claws their ears and eyes. Their hair whitens. Tarnished: Ahhhh!
The Tarnished succumbs to their wounds.
Yuina notices the Tarnished has stabbed themself in the stomach.
The souls fly around the pond.
They rest in the bodies of defeated Tarnished.
The bodies of the Tarnished rise again.
On its swollen river, the Mariner cackles and winds around the Tarnished. Corhyn and the Prophet continue to throw Discuses, missing the rapid Mariner. The Undead press toward the Tarnished.
Gareth is bewildered and trying to keep track of the situation. Gareth, to D: What now, D? D: I...don't know. D: I've never seen one so wild before!
D: Should we retreat? Gareth: I don't want to waste any more time!
Gareth, to Yuina: Any miracles, you think? Yuina shakes her head no.
The Mariner flies through the air, on the surf of its spirits.
The white hairs of a head peek above the boat.
It is Meilyr.
Meilyr readies his club.
Meilyr, like Tom, raises his club up like a frying pan.
He slams it into the Mariner's head. Its "eyes" pop out.
The Tibia Mariner falls. Its boat descends.
It skims through the waters of the pond.
It careens toward the grassland, outside of the pond.
The Tarnished run toward the crashed Mariner. Some Tarnished: It's vulnerable! Attack!
The Undead chase after them.
The Tarnished struggle with the Undead, trying to push them aside.
Meilyr is sprawled on the ground. Meilyr: Ohhh...
Some other Tarnished, on encountering an undead Tarnished: Hans... Hans...
Some other Tarnished: I can't. Some other Tarnished: I give up.
The Mariner raises its horn, smashing the heads of Tarnished into pulp with it.
Yuina stabs the Mariner.
She raises her Uchigatana high above her head.
Yuina: HAHHHH!
Nothing happens. Yuina and the Mariner stare at one another.
Yuina: Haaaaaaaaah...
The Mariner smacks her with its horn.
D infuses his sword, the Inseparable Sword, a covenant of his and his brother's acceptance into the Golden Order and their gratitude for it, with golden light. D: It ends here, beast.
A wave of light flies from D's sword.
The wave hits the Mariner in its skull.
The Mariner's control over spirits is loosened. Its waters diminish, and the spirits ascend, being put to Order.
D jumps, his sword raised high.
D cleaves the Mariner's head with his sword.
The Mariner is inanimate.
It dissolves into dust.
The dissolution of the Mariner allows the spirits to be freed. The corpses of the Tarnished fall.
The spirits depart, to Leyndell (in Wyndham Ruins).
The (remaining) Tarnished watch. D, to Gareth: ...Didn't get to say my prayer this time. D: Wouldn't change a thing, I suppose.
D: That was far too difficult. D: The dead are becoming restless.
Gareth: Can you explain...? D: Not now.
D: Well, this stretch of the highway is now clear. D: But I assume the Tarnished will want to bury their dead. The Tarnished are weeping over their fallen comrades.
Gareth: As is human. D: ...
D: I'll never quite get it. D: Under the Erdtree, death is not a departure.
D: We'll all meet again. Gareth: ...
D: Ah, I almost forgot.
D kneels where the Mariner had fallen.
He uncovers a Deathroot.
D, to Gareth: You keep this, with the other one.
Gareth: Well...wait... Gareth: Why... Gareth: Well, what is this?
D: Like the tree that pierced Rogier: D: They're symbols of the land's disease.
D: As for why, an unfortunate...thing in the far east has need of them. D: But I, am on a different journey.
D: No need to change your plans. D: But if you can get them to him, that wouldn't be bad.
D: It would be a nice small deed in an exceeding evil world.
Meilyr: Ayyyyy Gareth! Meilyr is in the distance, approaching.
Gareth: Meilyr! He grabs Meilyr's hand and pulls him close.
Gareth: You crazy bastard. Gareth: Did you plan that gambit?
Meilyr: Ah...no... Meilyr: It was a spur-of-the-moment idea.
Meilyr: I ate too much crab, full asleep behind those trees, Meilyr: and, what do you know, the rogue was right beside me.
Meilyr: And, who resists a nice boat ride?
Meilyr: Gareth, your brother... Gareth hangs his head down.
Gareth: Yes, my brother...
Gareth: Promised you a feast. Gareth: If ever we return to Stormveil, then I will host you a banquet.
Gareth: Though I don't quite know where we get food. Gareth: Not a good castellan, I am. Yuina arrives, the convoy with her.
Gareth, to Meilyr: Alright, we need to hurry on. Gareth: Urgent business.
Gareth: What shall you do?
Meilyr: Had lobster, had crab... Escargot would be good.
Gareth mounts his ox. Gareth: Then, take care, friend. 'Till we meet again.
Gareth, D and Yuina ride off. Meilyr waves them goodbye.
Meilyr: Horse... Meilyr: Wish I had horse... Meilyr: For either of two reasons...
The trio pass by the immense Carian Study Hall, which links to the Divine Tower in this area.
They pass by the Artist's Shack. The moon is large in the distance; under the moon is a large night rider, a Night's Cavalry watching stoically.
They take stock of the great landbridge that connects the plateau of the Eastern Tableland to the Liurnian Highway; below is a chasm, connecting to the lake shore. The landbridge is now broken, by human hands, by nature, who can say.
They peer down the chasm. Gareth: Aye...deep.
D: Gareth, my apologies. I did not know the highway was in this state.
D: The Tarnished will need to find another way.
Gareth: What happens to Rogier? D: ...We can bury him here. For our sentimentality.
Gareth: Well, hold on now. Gareth: I've an idea.
Gareth hitches the wagon, which is holding Rogier's coffin, exclusively to his ox, Stalwart.
Stalwart proceeds slowly, from one end of the landbridge.
He picks up pace, pounding furiously on the stone.
The edge of the landbridge.
Gareth and Stalwart leap, the wagon in mid-air.
They land on the other side, the wagon still in the air.
The wagon crashes on the stone; it wobbles, and threatens to fall apart.
The wagon stills, keeping together.
It then tilts backwards, sliding.
It threatens to fall over the chasm.
Gareth throws himself over the rope.
He pulls, with all his strength. Thankfully, the wagon stays level and does not tip over.
D, looking from above: You've lost your mind! D: I can't believe you were thinking this!
Gareth: Come down and help me, man! D jumps down.
The wagon is secure. D: What will the others do? Gareth: Come on, man - Gareth: You've never been on a campaign?
Gareth: They'll build a bridge. Gareth: That's part of warring. Gareth: They're equipped for it. Yuina jumps down.
Gareth: Though...how will we get back? Gareth looks up; clearly, it's easier to go down than go up.
D: We can descend the Eastern Tableland and enter the lake from there. D: The journey is more perilous, but we're suited for it.
Gareth tries to give order to the convoy. Gareth: Right...so what's ahead?
D: Nothing much... More Monks... Brush... Bears... D: Wait...
Horse hooves can be heard. D: That sound. D: 'Tis too familiar.
The funeral horse's hooves, thudding on the landbridge.
The horse jumps.
The Night's Cavalry, with Halberd, leaps over them, obscuring the moon. The Tarnished look overhead.
Gareth gets on Stalwart, and rides.
The wagon rattles behind him.
Stalwart, being slower than horses, lags behind the Night's Cavalry, who raises his halberd.
Yuina stabs into the black rider's knee. It does not enter too deeply.
The rider pulls the blade out, tilting Yuina backward, for she is neither an expert in swordsmanship or horsemanship.
D imbues his sword with a golden glow.
D fires a ray of gold at the rider.
Gareth, with his greatshield, pushes the rider toward the ray.
The rider burns, by the brilliance of the gold.
The foursome ride through the Eastern Tableland, where the Fire Monk camp hovers nearby.
The Tarnished wind around the camp; the rider smashes through the palisades, so great his steed is. A Fire Monk faces him.
Monk, his palm outstretched: Catch, Flame!
An explosion of fire erupts from his hand, burning the rider whole. It is not enough to slow the horse.
The monk is trampled under the horse's hooves.
D pierces the Inseparable Sword into the rider's abdomen. They enter the brush.
D pushes the rider toward the trees; tree after tree is snapped, like twigs, in the funeral horse's furious charge.
The rider pushes D back with the blunt side of his halberd.
He makes to swing.
Gareth, from behind, pushes him forward with his greatshield. The rider misses, cutting down trees instead.
Yuina is caught behind the debris.
Gareth: Yuina!
The funeral horse jumps, towards the cliff to the east.
The horse then jumps off the cliff.
The rider is above Gareth, about to bring his massive halberd down on him.
D pushes Gareth and Stalwart aside, his sword pointed to the sky.
The rider falls on the sword, another wound in his abdomen.
The rider's weight tilts the sword dramatically.
D's wrists snap. D: AHHH!
D, his horse, the rider and his horse collapse together.
The rider stands up, recovering.
Charging furiously at his side, Gareth and Stalwart make a ram with his greatshield.
Gareth slams the greatshield into the rider, pushing him back.
Gareth pushes him to the edge of a cliff.
The rider's feet try to gain traction on the ground.
The feet fall into air. The rider plunges into the depressed area below the Tableland.
The funeral horse jumps, obscuring the moon over Gareth's head.
It descends with its rider.
D presses behind Gareth. Yuina and her horse gather around. Gareth: D, are you okay?
D: Yes. D: We must hurry. Gareth sees the condition of D's horse; its back is bent in a V. Gareth: Your horse.
D raises his sword over his horse.
He cuts the horse's head, killing it mercifully.
D: He was a good horse. D: Shame. D: I'll ride with you on your ox.
The three ride swiftly into the night; they see the Ruined Labyrinth up ahead, the crumbling architecture of an ancient civilization, not unlike Siofra.
D: Take the fork! D: To the right! D: There are enemies ahead!
Up above the ruins. An Ancestral Follower archer sees the trio take the fork, avoiding the ruins. She has drawn an arrow.
The Follower watches stoically, observing the trio leave.
D: Straight ahead is the catacomb...
A growl can be heard from the darkness. This is no ordinary bear growling.
A paw touches the ground.
A bear's snarling face.
The runebear roars at them, anger undisguised in its face. It is many, many times taller than they are, and thicker too.
D: ...Marika help us.
The runebear's muscles tense.
The runebear leaps at them.
It, inexplicably, leaps over them.
It throws itself, instead, at the equally immense and powerful rider, whose armor is dented and flattened by the fall.
D: Go, go! Gareth: I know, man, I know!
The runebear bites into the rider's shoulder, knocking him off his mount.
The runebear bites deep. The rider has its arms on the runebear's shoulders.
The rider stands, bringing the bear up as well. Their arms are on the other's respective shoulders.
The rider's arms tense.
He flips the runebear on its back.
He raises his halberd high in the air.
He slams it upon the bear's stomach, causing a hot explosion of guts and blood to fount upward. Bones crack, and the ground trembles beneath the impact.
The runebear roars in agony; it squirms. A shadow is over its face.
The rider's boot comes down, reducing the bear's skull into pulp.
The rider rides off, toward the Black Knife Catacombs, where giant tombstones decorate the valley.
Gareth is in the distance, on Stalwart. His greatshield is raised.
The rider charges.
Gareth: Stalwart, I apologize... Gareth: I don't know who you are, Gareth: and I brought you into the thick of battle.
Gareth: Were you Godrick's? Gareth: Did you precede him?
Gareth: Did you labor the fields? Gareth: Or did you carry wood and stone, for your masters' campaigns?
Gareth: Does the blood of warriors course through your veins?
Gareth: Even if none do, I have need of your strength. Gareth: So you be strong, for me.
Stalwart's nostrils puff.
They receive the rider's thrust. Stalwart is pushed backwards, but his feet still meet the ground.
Stalwart strains his neck, trying to keep Gareth's greatshield steady; its hind legs are also pushed to their muscular limit.
Gareth's arms and abdomen strain; he grits his teeth, this same strength that reduced the runebear into pieces.
Gold graces Gareth's eyes.
Gold lights the rider's black helm, the same which admits no light for the bleakness of his deeds.
The rider intends to push Gareth into a tombstone, flattening him into a pancake against his and his funeral steed's force.
The tombstone comes closer and closer.
However, Stalwart's hind legs dig further and further into the dirt.
The rider slows. Even his funeral steed, powerful beast, seems unsteady trying to push further.
Two warriors, shrouded in the darkness, peek from a tombstone behind the rider.
D leaps out, his sword high in the air. The Inseparable Sword glows with golden light.
With one fell swoop, he cuts the funeral steed's bowels open; they spill and steam on the ground.
Yuina has her Uchigatana upraised.
Yuina: My lord. Her sword is engulfed in light. The Erdtree shines, its rays piercing through the mist of night.
Yuina cuts the rider in two.
The rider falls apart. Gareth and Stalwart collapse, soaked in sweat, their muscles sore.
The rider's hand.
Inexplicably, the rider's hand moves.
The two halves stand, on their respective feet. D's hands, broken before, tremble. D: You have to be kidding me...
The two halves are near merging; however, the sun rises before them.
The sun rises. The rays of light break upon the valley, lighting on the tombstones and the rider.
In the light's glare, the rider dissolves into dust.
The Tarnished watch on.